DOVER — The annual Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards were presented April 30.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control secretary Shawn Garvin, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts president Gwen Pierce and Jena Moore, a state conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, led the ceremony and signed a proclamation designating April 28 to May 5 as Stewardship Week in Delaware.

This year’s agricultural honorees included Thompson Farms, a Kent County facility dedicated to conservation; Richard Swartzentruber, a Sussex County organic farmer passionate about sustainable agriculture and giving back; and Rick Mickowski, a longtime New Castle Conservation District staff member who has focused on protecting the environment, as his agency provides services that build up the community.

The urban conservation award recipient was Robert Palmer of Beacon Engineering, who employs a stormwater management approach that uses a hybrid submerged gravel/ephemeral wetland facility.

In Sussex County, the Carl M. Freeman Companies and the Tower Hill community were recognized for being examples of thoughtful and purposeful conservation.

New Castle County recognized the Brandywine Falls Roadway Stabilization Project for improving the management of stormwater runoff and eliminating erosion of the steep slopes that flow into the Brandywine River, the primary source of drinking water for the city of Wilmington.

Sen. Nicole Poore, D-New Castle, was named the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts’ Legislator of the Year. She has consistently supported conservation districts, tax ditch organizations and agriculture best practices during her 12 years in the Senate. Plus, Sen. Poore and her fellow Bond Committee members approved increases in funding to support such programs.

Delaware’s conservation districts, one in each county, are unique governmental units, in partnership with DNREC. Their mission is to provide technical and financial assistance, so residents can conserve and improve their local natural resources.

The statewide organization is a voluntary, nonprofit alliance that provides a forum for discussion and coordination.